The First Horcrux
by Cicada with Pen
Summary: What would happen if Tom Riddle fell in love? Why did he kill Moaning Myrtle? Set in his fifth year at Hogwarts.
1. Prologue

Tom Riddle grew up in a Muggle orphanage, unaware of his fantastic legacy. Handsome and clever, he was both feared and admired by his cohorts. At Hogwarts he was a favorite of the teachers for his quick mind and polite manner, but he had a rival - Seline Saiorse, a girl every bit as beautiful and brilliant as he. They fought for the coveted position of top of their year. Paradoxically, it was this competition that caused the bitter enemies to become friends, and slowly turned their friendship into love. But brilliant as they were, they had forgotten that snakes do not love, must not love, for love erases cunning and judgment, the essence and life of the snake.

This is a tale of love and loss, secrets and evil. It is a tale of despair and decisions, doom and destruction. It is the tale of Tom and Seline, the boy who talked to serpents and the girl with the adder-green eyes.

A/N The only things I own in this story are all the characters not mentioned in the Harry Potter series. This story is supposed to be compliant with the Harry Potter series, so please let me know if I made any errors in the timing of certain events.


	2. Flashback

Flashback (3rd year):

"Today we will be practicing Cheering Charms," squeaked Professor Flitwick from the tall stack of books he stood upon to see over his desk. "Please get into pairs, and start practicing the charm. Mr. Nott will be passing around the homework."

"Want to try them silently?" asked Seline, her green eyes daring him to turn down her challenge.

They liked to make the lessons more interesting by adding a challenge or two. To back down was the ultimate disgrace, an affirmation that the other had managed to take the coveted spot of top student.

"Bring it on," said Tom coolly.

They took turns casting the charm, each attempting to outperform the other. Performing spells silently was something normally attempted by N.E.W.T students for a reason - it involved tremendous focus, a skill that doesn't pop up overnight. Though Tom had exceptional powers of concentration, he could not keep his attention on casting the charm. His thoughts kept wandering, and for the first time he found it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Snap out of it," he whispered.

He looked Seline straight in the eyes, determined to beat her at the challenge she had suggested, and he was instantly mesmerized by how vividly green they were. They reminded him of snakes and their hypnotic power to enchant their victims. With difficulty, he wrenched his gaze away from her eyes, but then it caught on her blonde hair curling around her shoulders, as light as his was dark.

"What's going on?" Seline's voice broke into his reverie. "Stop daydreaming!" And with that she shot a perfect Cheering Charm right between his eyes.

Tom shook his head. He felt slightly dizzy, as though he had just emerged from underwater. Then the warm, fuzzy feeling of the Cheering Charm flowed over him, and he grinned lazily at her, perfectly content.

Nott came around halfway through their practice, putting the two rolls of parchment on their desks. Out of the corner of his eye, Tom saw Seline's score, just a point above his. Maybe it was the effect of the Cheering Charms, but he didn't feel the familiar jealous anger bubbling inside him. Seline smiled triumphantly at him, and he felt himself smiling back.

* * *

><p>"Hey, why're you so happy?" asked Avery that evening at dinner through a mouthful of steak-and-kidney pie.<p>

"Cheering Charms," Tom said, shooting a glance down the table, where a few Slytherin girls were laughing.

"Uh huh," said Avery, following Tom's eyes. "I don't think it's just the Cheering Charms."

"Why do you say that?" asked Tom sharply.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Avery. "You love her, don't you?"

"Who?" he said, feigning ignorance.

"Seline Saiorse, you nit! Who else?"

"Oh, shut up, Avery," he snapped.

Avery shrugged as if to say, _What can I do if you don't believe me? _and started up a conversation with Rodolphus Lestrange.

Tom laughed, secretly thankful that Avery could not perform Legilimency. For once Avery guessed correctly. Tom Riddle was in love, and nobody knew it better than he.

* * *

><p>Long after everyone else in the dormitory had fallen asleep, Seline lay awake, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought about a comment made by Lisette, one of the Slytherin girls she spoke with at dinner.<p>

_"I swear, Tom Riddle is so hot!" said Teresa McCallahan."I totally want to ask him to come with me next Hogsmeade weekend, but I'm too shy to ask him in person!"_

_Seline snorted. There was no way that you could call a girl who dressed in skin-tight miniskirts and tops that left nothing to the imagination under her robes "shy." All the same, her blood boiled. Tom deserved better than silly, materialistic girls like Teresa._

_"Are you kidding? You don't have a chance with Tom Riddle. Didn't you see that smile on his face in Charms when he was working with Seline?"_

_"You like him, don't you?" said a girl named Lisette, enjoying seeing Seline flush red._

_"Why do you think I like such a know-it-all?" she shot back, biting down the urge to turn them into mice for the school owls's evening snack._

_The girls laughed. _

_"Of course you don't," said Teresa in a patronizing voice, and the talk turned to the latest style in robes._

Seline remembered Tom's expression when he was daydreaming in Charms, staring at her like she was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. Lisette's words echoed in her head: _You like him, don't you? _


	3. Writing on the Wall

A/N The rest of the story takes place in their fifth year.

"And time's...UP!" called Professor Slughorn through the mist of brightly colored fog filling the dungeon. Tom tried to shake some of the gobs of salamander intestines off his fingers, but they stayed on, making his hands feel like they were covered in glue. All around the room, people were trying to clean themselves off; the solution that they had to concoct in this lesson, the Draught of Confusion, was among the most messy potions they had made this year.

"Professor?" said Mulciber, straining to make himself heard over the chatter. "Professor, the stone gargoyle isn't working. How are we supposed to wash up?"

Slughorn tried to make his way to Mulciber, but the dense fog made it hard to see. "Oh dear, I suppose we'll just have to let people out to clean up in the bathrooms," he said, after three failed attempts to get there. He gestured to the people nearest to the door. "You by the door, go first. Maybe you can find a teacher to help us fix the gargoyle."

Tom hurried off to the second floor, his mind preoccupied with what he had read in a book that he found in the library...a way to achieve immortality. He had just entered the bathroom and was about to turn on the tap, when he realized that he was in a girls' bathroom. More to distract himself from this unpleasant surprise than anything - he just wanted to clean up and get over with it already - he examined the copper tap. Etched on the side was a small snake.

His pulse quickened as he stared at the snake. He had heard legends of a secret chamber made by Slytherin, hidden inside Hogwarts. Could it be...?

_"Open,"_ he hissed.

He stared in a mixture of shock and amazement as the sink shifted and sank right out of sight, revealing a large stone slide that twisted down into the depths of the school. Lighting his wand, he slid down, down, down...

* * *

><p>Tom left the bathroom so exhilarated that he didn't care about the potential awkwardness of being seen leaving a girls' lavatory. He had done it! He had achieved his dream of finding a place only he knew of in Hogwarts, a place which was part of his birthright as the heir of Slytherin - the Chamber of Secrets.<p>

This was his weapon in fulfilling his duty of carrying on his ancestor's noble work to rid the school of Mudbloods. He could set the great, bloodthirsty serpent on the vile filth, and it would eradicate them once and for all.

However, he would have to be cautious. He could not actively murder students; that would cause too much suspicion. He must only Petrify students, no matter how badly he was tempted otherwise. He must also keep this a secret, even from Seline. The smallest slip could end up causing his expulsion from Hogwarts, or worse, jailing in Azkaban.

Putting aside his worries for the moment, Tom waved his wand, and words written in rooster blood appeared on the wall beside the lavatory.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware."


	4. Kitten

"So," said Seline carelessly, sitting back in the common room armchairs facing a blazing fire, "another Mudblood attack?"

Her tongue rolled over the syllables, like she was savoring a piece of chocolate. Her voice was just barely edged in malicious glee - being a prefect, she had to keep up appearances of being concerned about the school.

"Dennis Navers, that snot-nosed, whiny first year," Tom said. "Pomfrey's talking about expanding the hospital wing."

Seline laughed, a high, cold sound.

"Well, this Heir of Slytherin has got a good head on his shoulders, that's for sure," she said, glancing up at the portrait of the House's founder above the mantel. "All the better for us real students to get that slime out. What good headmaster would let filth like that learn magic?"

"If it weren't for Dumbledore, we'd have a lot less," Tom said, tossing little balls of parchment into the flames. "Dippet's a smart guy, but when Dumbledore digs his heels in..."

"That stupid, Muggle-loving, pompous prat!" spat Seline as she picked up her unfinished Transfiguration homework.

"Careful," Tom warned. "The walls have ears, you know..."

"Ha ha ha," said Seline. "Anyway, speaking of Dumbledore, we've still got to finish that Transfiguration essay... hello, what's this?"

It was a small gray kitten, wandering around the common room.

"Probably some first year's stupid pet," Tom said. "I despise furred animals."

"Animals...you think Hagrid has something to do with the attacks?"

Tom laughed.

"That oaf! Him, Slytherin's heir?"

"True, true," mused Seline, scooping the purring kitten onto her lap and scratching behind its ears. "Just a passing thought..."

Her eyes glittered with malice, and Tom felt a small smile curl the tips of his mouth.

Just as he was about to turn back to his Transfiguration, there was a flash of green light from Seline's wand and the kitten keeled over, dead.

* * *

><p>The clock beside Slytherin's portrait chimed nine.<p>

"Time for patrol duty."

They pushed their things aside and left the dungeon common room. As they rounded the corner, they saw a Hufflepuff second year on the verge of tears.

"Have you seen my cat, Fluffles? He's small, and gray..."

"Get back to your common room. Ten points from Hufflepuff."

Seline snickered as the Hufflepuff raced out of sight. They could hear sobs of "Fluffles? Fluffles? Where are you?"

"Fluffles must have been that cat we saw in the common room." A malicious grin spread over Tom's face when he realized what had happened.


	5. Discovery

Myrtle hurried out the door at the end of class, hoping to make it back to Ravenclaw Tower before -

"Hey, Four-Eyes! Don't you need a license to be that ugly?" shrieked Olive Hornby.

_Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry._

"S-stop it, Olive," said Myrtle, stammering in the effort of controlling herself.

"Awww, am I making you sad, ittle bittle baby Myrtle?" taunted Olive.

In tears, Myrtle fled to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall, where she proceeded to sob hysterically. After a quarter of an hour, she calmed down sufficiently to hear a strange hissing noise. Startled, she peeked under the stall door and saw a tall boy and a scaly green reptile at least one hundred feet long. The boy was hissing to what she guessed was a snake, and the snake was hissing back.

A sudden realization leapt at Myrtle - This boy could talk to snakes. That probably made him a Slytherin. And since that was a trait that Salazar Slytherin supposedly had, that probably made him...

"The heir of Slytherin," she whispered in shock, biting down the urge to scream.

At that very moment, a charm from Myrtle's bracelet fell of and hit the floor. It made a soft clatter, but in the silence it sounded like a gunshot. The boy turned, and their eyes locked.

It was Tom Riddle.


	6. Agony

Tom paced the common room in mounting fury. What was he going to do? That girl knew his secret; it was only a matter of time before she reported him to Dippet, or worse, Dumbledore. From there, expulsion or even imprisonment in Azkaban was only a few steps away. Slytherin's portrait leered at him, and Tom glared back in disgust. He was one of the most brilliant students at Hogwarts, and yet he could not think of a way to keep his secret safe.

The clock struck two and he stalked off to bed, angry at his failure, angry at the knowledge that he would be exhausted the next day.

As he drew the emerald drapes around his bed, a memory floated, unbidden to the surface of his mind, a memory from that momentous day that he found that he was a wizard.

"_I can make bad things happen to people that annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to._

His dreams were full of the hissing of snakes.


	7. The Beginning and the End

Tom impatiently sat through Herbology, ostensibly listening to a lecture on Fanged Geraniums while really just waiting for the class to be over. After Herbology was lunch, a free half hour in which he could go visit the Chamber of Secrets. He needed to eliminate that girl before she did him any damage.

When the bell finally rang, Tom was never more grateful for it. He was the first one out of the greenhouse, and on the castle steps when Seline grabbed his arm.

"What's going on?" she asked fiercely.

"Nothing," he lied, not meeting her eyes.

"You haven't been in the library for weeks! You're always rushing out of every class! We haven't even had a normal conversation in weeks! This isn't nothing!"

"Seline, listen-"

"No," she said angrily. "You listen to me. I thought we were best friends?"

"We are, but-"

"So you're supposed to talk to your friends! That's what they're for - to help you with your problems! What kind of best friends are we if you can't even talk to me?"

"There's just - something - I have to finish, okay?"

"Fine," she snarled. "But I'm going to find out what this 'something' is, with or without your help." She stalked off, leaving Tom momentarily stunned.

Tom skulked outside the Great Hall, hidden behind a suit of armor. Lunch was halfway over when Myrtle ran out of the Great Hall in tears. Tom followed her, making sure to stay in the shadows, up to the second floor girls' bathroom.

The noise of the secret tunnel opening was drowned out by Myrtle's sobs. Tom looked at her stall door as the basilisk slithered up from the depths.

"_Kill the girl,"_ he hissed.

"Why are you in the girls' bathroom? Go use your own toilet," said Myrtle, her blotchy face poking out of the stall door.

The basilisk stared at her, yellow eyes fixed on brown. Myrtle crumpled like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

Just then, the bathroom door flew open and Seline came in, looking triumphant.

"I told you I would find out," she said, sealing the door with a wave of her wand. "Now - what the..."

She stared at the snake for a minute. An expression that was equal parts shock and excitement spread over her face as comprehension dawned. _"You_ were the Heir of Slytherin? _You_ were the one that's been Petrifying the Mudbloods?"

At the sound of her voice, the basilisk turned.

"_No!"_ screamed Tom.

Seline shot a Stunning spell at the basilisk. It froze, but not before sinking a poisonous fang into Seline's arm. Deep red blood splattered all over the room, quickly soaking Seline's robes, and she fell to the ground.

"_GO!"_ hissed Tom furiously at the basilisk before turning back to Seline. Her face was deathly white, and her breath came out in rattling gasps.

"No, no, you're not dying, no, please, no..."

"There's no healing now," she whispered. "It's okay, Tom. Now you'll be the top student." She made a brave attempt at a smile.

"I'm so sorry..."

"Be great, Tom." She raised a hand to touch his face. "I know you will..."

She closed her eyes for the last time, those green eyes that had captivated him in Charms two years ago.

Tom trembled from hand to foot, staring at what once was his best friend. His hands shaking, he performed the excruciating magic that would help him avoid her fate, encasing the fragment of his soul in the small black diary that he kept in his pocket constantly.

"I will be great," he said aloud to the death-filled room. "I will be the greatest sorcerer there ever was."

Only then did he realize that his face was wet. He looked in the mirror and saw that he was crying.

* * *

><p>Tom Riddle was never the same after that day. After Seline's death, he never could bring himself to feel affection for anyone else. As far as he was concerned, love was not worth the heartbreak. That day was both a beginning and an end - the beginning of his journey toward immortality, and the end of his ability to care.<p> 


End file.
